Board Games: Clever Storage & Make Your Own

Here is a way to cut the clutter of game boards, use them as art but double as a storage space. Behind the game board are all the game pieces stored in a ziploc bag. Beckie from Infarrantly Creative is the mastermind behind these clever art pieces.

The back of the board stores all the board pieces.   Check out Beckie's tutorial on how to make frames and game board storage art

Fun ideas making your own games....

The Thrifty Chick shows how-to make your own personalized checkers game board.

Clever, clever! Family Yahtzee would make such a wonderful gift. It would also be a blast to play.

Another wonderful tutorial from Thrifty Chick on how to make your own family Yahtzee

 

Childrens' Board Games The War of the Roses Decoupage or Gift Wrap Paper 20 by 28 inches





Cards Dice And Game Boards by Kate Ward Thacker 13.30X10.00. Art Poster Print

Scrabble Champion Edition

Original Game Saver Orange

CHICAGO / LONDON

CHICAGO. I receive daily email summaries from a service called 3QuarksDaily, which posts entries of interest in science, literature, the arts, politics and philosophy. One of today's entries was a video showing lightning striking three of the tallest buildings in Chicago at the same time. The video repeats several times, in real time and in slow motion. Pretty awesome. It reminded me of being in center city Philadelphia once, when a huge thunderstorm erupted overhead. The downpour was so intense that we had to pull over and park. The thunderclaps reverberated off all those skyscrapers, magnifying to earth-shattering decibel levels. I loved it.






















Chicago was also host last weekend to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, an event to benefit a drug treatment center in Antigua. "Crossroads" is a reference to a song by the seminal blues guitarist and singer, Robert Johnson. The festival features dozens of legendary blues and jazz guitarists. Clapton hosted the first Festival in Dallas, Texas in 2004 -- it was recorded for PBS, and is available on DVD. The 2007 and 2010 events were held in Chicago. Here is a review of this year's festival. Whether seen and heard live or on DVD, the Crossroads Festival is a jaw-dropping gathering of instrumental and vocal talent.















LONDON. On this day in 1894, London's Tower Bridge was opened, spanning the River Thames near the Tower of London. The bridge is a combined bascule and suspension design. Its entire center roadway section raises vertically to allow passage of ships beneath. After 116 years, the Tower Bridge still serves both road traffic and river traffic, and is an iconic structure in London. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Shabby Chic: Girly Baby Nurseries

Sentimental charm describes shabby chic to me and it is a such a wonderful way to decorate your little girl's nursery. Shabby chic typically starts with white vintage style furniture or soft pastel furniture. To create a soft feminine feeling, begin with delicate fabrics and add vintage pieces. Rose fabric is a natural choice for a shabby chic room. Fresh coat of white paint on the hutch can make drab into fab. I'm really loving the pink door! image © Bill Matthews

Sweet baby nursery.

Could this pink dresser be any cuter?

Randi House sent me these darling images of here daughters shabby chic nursery. Randi says, "A dainty, shabby chic nursery designed around Tanya Whelan's ava rose fabric.  Shades of pale and medium pink and soft blue adorn the walls and bedding. My husband painted the contrasting stripes and added the chair rail as well as hung a chandelier and cornice board.  We had a local friend custom make her bedding."

A blessing dress or confirmation gown adds such a sweet touch to a baby nursery. Thanks Randi for sharing.

By the Yard TANYA WHELAN Fabric LARGE ROSES Pink TW04

 

Occasional Table Shabby Wood Chic: Home Furniture - Home Décor 

 

Shabby Chic Wood Shelf 

 

Classic Shabby Chic® Armoire - Sour Cream 

 6.5" AVA ROSE Tanya Whelan Fabric Squares

 

By the Yard TANYA WHELAN Fabric ROSE DAMASK Rose TW06 

Check out our custom Art Piece Giveaway $215

HANDGUNS / INVISIBILITY / NATIONAL CHARACTER

HANDGUNS. In a 5-4 decision the US Supreme Court yesterday held that an individual's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws (thereby nullifying handgun control laws in Chicago, Washington, DC, and elsewhere).

As always in a discussion of gun control, I am torn. On the one hand, I grew up in the hunting culture of the northern prairie. As a teenager I took hunters safety classes, and further learned firearm discipline in the military. I own a .45 caliber semi-auto pistol and a .22 caliber semi-auto rifle. I also possess a Montana concealed-carry permit.

On the other hand, it is an undeniable reality that the gun culture of a rural community is a whole different animal from the gun culture of crime-ridden US cities. There is good reason why state and municipal governments have taken it upon themselves to pass ordinances regulating the sale of assault rifles and handguns. One reason is that over the years, access to these weapons by gang members and organized crime has often left the police outgunned, forcing law enforcement to enter into an ever-escalating and expensive arms race. Another reason is that within the home, domestic violence may take on a fatal dimension -- easy access to a weapon coupled with the heat of anger are a deadly combination. A third reason is that carrying a handgun for self-defense too often places one in greater danger, since many assailants are able to disarm their victims. Now you're faced with a criminal pointing your own gun at you.

Bottom line, firearms cause 60,000 deaths and injuries each year. Evidence indicates that Chicago's ban on handguns has save hundreds of lives since it was enacted in 1983. My own position is that states and cities should be free to pass and enforce their own firearm laws, based on their own unique situations. I have no qualms about gun registration, any more than I do about car registration. The phrase "gun control" does not carry the apocalyptic connotations for me, that it seems to do for many members of the NRA. Flip side? Ive seen so much death and disfigurement from firearms -- in Vietnam and as a civilian ambulance driver -- that I can count on one hand the number of people besides myself whom I trust with a loaded weapon. My personal short list does not even include most police officers.

The Second Amendment states simply that "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." The dissenting Justices, drawing on historical evidence, wrote "The reasons that motivated the framers to protect the ability of militiamen to keep muskets available for military use when our nation was in its infancy ... have only a limited bearing on the question that confronts the homeowner in a crime-infested metropolis today." Further, "firearms have a fundamentally ambivalent relationship to liberty." Which is precisely why convicted felons and people who suffer from mental illness may not own firearms, and also why firearms are not allowed in schools and government buildings.

A case could be made that the 18th century Militia referred to in the Second Amendment has long since been formalized into state National Guard units, and that the Second Amendment has decreasing relevance to individuals. Personally, I'm not prepared to concede that point just yet, since it would cede all control of firearms to government. But it is an interesting argument.

Here is an array of responses to the Supreme Court decision for your consideration.

INVISIBILITY. No, this is not science fiction, or a Harry Potter reference. Here is a provocative discussion of the development of a working invisibility cloak. Of all the powers available to superheroes, invisibility and flying (without an airplane) have always been the most intriguing to me. Just think of the possiblities, and see if you aren't harboring a secret grin.

NATIONAL CHARACTER. Finally, here is Justin E.H. Smith's thoughtful exploration into the nature and origins of how we come to define our identities as members of a nation. Prepare to question your assumptions in a most thought-provoking manner. The story is not as simple as being born in a certain place. As always, click on any image to enlarge for best visibility. Happy reading.